The Chosen Ones – 3rd June 2025

We’ll educate the natives by musket and disease,

A hand on the Bible, our Lord manifests destiny,

So empowered by his word to do as we may please,

By blanket and buffalo, erase from sea to sea.



Subjugate with murder on our ancestors’ claims,

A pilgrimage of plunder when holding all the aces,

Building castles from the bones of their remains,

We’re the chosen ones among the many races.



With our fingers crossed as our promises made,

Based on the righteousness of words we twisted,

The victims of our genocides forever displayed,

Warning that our bloodlust may never be resisted.



Unbelievers, impure, will succumb to subjugation,

Fire and brimstone await those we deem sinners,

Suffer little children, bend a knee for your nation,

We will write the history, for we are the winners.


Charlie Zero The Poet Music picks & Reviews #22 and my quick thoughts:

The Omnific – Good stuff and new to me. The bass playing is obviously super interesting and though I guess it is a little on-the-nose in places, talent can’t be denied. Gonna check out the rest of their catalogue.

Abstract Household Warfare – After The Omnific this is too experimental to dig right now. Right now, I need rhythm!

ADR – The concept and execution behind this is very good indeed. I checked out his other album THROAT which brought to mind Senyawa and Dokaka. Interesting but not me today.

group A – When a band describes themselves as a Japanese industrial / avant-garde synth duo you never know what you might get. Interesting stuff and would be cool to see in a dark illegal warehouse.

Blarf – Some great fucked up hip-hop (I suppose) and some whacked out noise. It seems that I’m all about the rhythm today and so this one only hits in places.

Weird selection that started off nicely for me and got my attention again at the end.

Gitchi Odjig – 7th January 2025

Listening (Homage to Grandfather series) by Daphne Odjig

Grandfather, I will try,
yet I can’t help wanting to wake up from this dream,
my angry blood washing the coasts.

Shall I pull a kindness spirit from my skin,
to kindle a flame for our family to share,
after everything my eyes have witnessed?

Grandfather guide me,
with the compassion shared through our generations,
the pull of the river drags at my feet.

Shall I sheaf the knife of revenge,
the blood spilt, a burden for my own family,
to break this cycle that is second nature?

Grandfather, with great strength
I have listened to the tales too terrible and whispered
around the fire of too many ghosts.

Shall I calm the fires of desire,
douse the light, whilst holding on to the flames of culture,
to consider these words for my children?

Grandfather, now I understand the dream
as I beheld the eyes of my grandchildren, newborn at night
and the eyes of the celestials looked back

I shall commune with The Great Fisher
when summer is born again and pass on your compassion
“Grandson remain strong, this life is just a dream.”

I’m mixing Native American ideas in this poem, and I probably show a lack of understanding of different myths and stories. I was initially pulled in by the quoted lines of Gianni Crow.

Then, looking through different myths, I found the story of the titular Great Fisher – Gotchi Odjig and then, looking for related art to accompany this piece, discovered Daphne Odjig’s fascinating work. The attached piece is suitably titled ‘Listening (Homage to Grandfather series)’. Daphne Odjig’s prints are available here at the Bearclaw Gallery.

17th Jan 2025 – Shared with dVerse OLN #376